Nailed hawk still alive and kicking
A hawk with a nail in its head is alive and still flying free around a San Francisco park after being shot with a nail gun and foiling rescuers’ attempts to catch and help it.
The members of the WildRescue group failed in their third attempt to capture the red-tailed hawk after it was spotted in the city’s Golden Gate Park eating a gopher it appeared to have captured.
The group were told about the injured bird and set about using wire-mesh traps — rather than nets, in which the nail could get caught and further harm the hawk — to try to catch it.
According to its rescuers, the bird is likely to have been born in the park to parents that live in the area.
They believe it was intentionally targeted with the nail gun, prompting one donor to add to WildRescue’s existing reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprit.
Rebecca Dmytryk, the group’s executive director, mentioned the difficulty of making sure the bird is nourished while also trying to keep it hungry so it can be lured towards its rescuers.
“We know he’s gotten some nourishment, which is good because we know he’s in a weakened state,” she remarked.
SOURCE: metro.co.uk
100 and still running...
Fauja Singh’s translator and coach Harmandar Singh: ‘’Running has given him a new focus in life.’’
A 100-year-old Briton has become the world’s oldest marathon runner after finishing a race in Canada.
Fauja Singh, from Ilford, east London, ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds.
The record-holder “hit the wall” at 22 miles but soldiered on for another two hours and finished in 3,850th place, ahead of five other competitors.
Mr Singh, who took up running 11 years ago after his wife and son died, trains every day by running 10 miles.
His coach and interpreter Harmander Singh said Mr Singh was “overjoyed”.
“Earlier, just before we came around the (final) corner, he said, ‘achieving this will be like getting married again’.”
“He’s absolutely overjoyed, he’s achieved his lifelong wish.”
Born in India in 1911, Mr Singh was a farmer in the Punjab but moved to Britain in the 1960s.
He puts his stamina down to ginger curry, tea and “being happy”.
He holds the world record for the over-90 category after running the 2003 Toronto marathon in five hours and 40 minutes. His latest feat earns him another spot in Guinness World Records.
On Thursday he broke another eight records for 100-year-old men by completing all eight distances ranging from 100m to 5,000m.
Mr Singh said: “The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative, stay smiling and keep running.”
SOURCE: bbc.co.uk
Amazon attacked by aliens!
A picture which purportedly shows an alien lurking in the Amazon is being put forward as evidence that there is supernatural activity on earth.
The image, which shows an unidentified being standing with its back arched a few feet from what looks like a floating orb of light behind a group of children, was apparently taken from video footage captured by two British tourists visiting the Mamaus region of the Brazilian rainforest.
The video was obtained by noted paranormal writer Mike Cohen, who says the area is known for its ‘intense UFO activity’.
He said: “This is highly compelling footage that will be hard to discredit.”
“It comes from an area known for experiencing intense UFO activity. It is rather apparent that aliens are interested in this region due to its biological diversity.”
“The area was also the focus of a high-level Brazilian government investigation known as Operation Prato, where the army was sent in to monitor and confirm an alien presence in the region.”
The footage has since been snapped up by a Hollywood producer to use in a film, according to Mr Cohen.
SOURCE: metro.co.uk
This dog has more friends than you do!
A Pomeranian dog called Shunsuke has become something of a phenomenon in Japan.
With his own Facebook and Twitter page, he can boast over 55,000 followers all eager to read about his escapades.
Shunsuke is also a regular on TV, has released two books and recently released his first calendar.
Born in Chiba in 2002, little Shunsuke has unofficially been given the title of ‘cutest dog in Japan’.
It comes after five-year-old American Pomeranian Boo was named the cutest dog in the world.
However, nine-year-old Shunsuke has stepped forward as a contender to Boo’s crown.
SOURCE: orange.co.uk
From poop to a pot of gold?
Paul Moran hatched a scheme to get rich quick by turning his own faeces into gold, according to authorities in Northern Ireland. But like King Midas himself, Moran might have flushed his life down the drain in pursuit of his golden dreams.
Moran’s attempts at alchemy crossed the line into arson when he set his apartment on fire after placing his faeces on an electric heater.
The 30-year-old resident of the town of Enniskillen reportedly caused nearly $4,800 (Rs416313) in damages to his home.
Moran was charged with arson and endangering the lives of others. He was sentenced to three months in jail followed by one year on supervised release.
“Rather bizarrely you were attempting to make gold from human faeces and waste products,” the judge stated. “It was an interesting experiment to fulfil the alchemist’s dream, but wasn’t going to succeed.”
Moran’s lawyer reportedly stated that his client is a smart man who has suffered from a drug problem.
SOURCE: huffingtonpost.com
One-eyed croc dies
Pocho the friendly Costa Rican crocodile has died in the Caribbean town of Siquirres.
The 50-year-old crocodile gained international fame for the weekly Sunday show that he performed with owner Gilberto Sheedan.
Olga Valle, wife of Sheedan, said: “All of the people in the village have offered their condolences and assistance.”
Chito, 54, described the one-eyed crocodile as ‘domesticated’. He could command Pocho to do tricks such as winking its one good eye, lifting its head and tail out of the water, rolling over and permitting Chito to stick his head inside the massive reptile’s maw.
Chito found the five-metre-long crocodile close to death on the shore of the Parismina river, in the Limón province, 17 years ago. The crocodile had been shot in the left eye.
Chito and several friends loaded the animal into a boat and took him to Siquirres, where Pocho was nursed back to health. Chito even slept with the crocodile during its recovery.
SOURCE: web.orange.co.uk
Police crack ‘poodunnit’
Police in Sweden have finally solved a robbery when they traced two robbers through means most foul.
The pair had answered the call of nature outside a strawberry farm near Vara, before breaking in and tying up the owner.
They made off with about £1,000 (Rs137219) in cash, tools and a car belonging to farmer Elof Dahlen.
But while the pair made sure to torch the vehicle following the raid, they forgot to scoop up their poop.
Detectives stumbled across the excrement and were able to extract DNA from it.
Eight months on, the two robbers and an accomplice have finally been tracked down, arrested and charged.
Mr Dahlen told the Nya Lidkopings-Tidningen newspaper that police had done a “fantastic” job in cleaning up the crime.
SOURCE: web.orange.co.uk
A burger or a beast?
Anyone with a massive appetite, $2,000 (Rs173464), and a death wish can order an “Absolutely Ridiculous Burger” from Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar.
But that burger, which weighs 319 pounds, isn’t quite as gargantuan as the other one that the restaurant cooked up.
The 338 pound beast of a burger is expected to break the Guinness World Record for largest burger, once it gets certified.
CNN reports that the burger loses about 100 pounds of grease when it’s cooked down. The sandwich also has 15 pounds of lettuce, 30 pounds of bacon, 30 pounds of tomatoes and 36 pounds of cheese. It takes 22 hours to cook.
SOURCE: huffingtonpost.com
The yolk’s on him!
A Japanese man astonished people by eating 32 boiled eggs in one minute.
The 33-years old Takeru Kobayashi also holds the world record for hot dog eating for six years.
SOURCE: geo.tv
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2011.
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